Louis XVI bloodstained cloth heads to Paris auction

A piece of bloodstained cloth from the beheading of Louis XVI will sell on April 3

A piece of bloodstained cloth from the beheading of Louis XVI following the 1789 French Revolution will sell at a Paris auction house on April 3.

While the blood has yet to be deemed authentic, Paul Fraser Collectibles has plenty of genuine strands of famous hair

The 9cm x 13cm cloth comes completein its own miniature coffin, and will be accompanied by a handwritten note that reads: "The precious blood of Louis XVI, 21 January 1793", which is the date the monarch was guillotined in Paris.

Celebrating their victory, the citizens of Paris are said to have clamoured to take a souvenir from the beheading, including dipping cloth in his blood and taking strands of his hair. It not yet been ascertained if the blood is genuine, which can only be proved by a DNA test.